Product Description

Get a true cinematic experience without going to the cinema with a Samsung 3D plasma HDTV. This Samsung PN50C680, with Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio makes sure every frame is saturated with dense, rich color. Samsung is also ENERGY STAR compliant so you are assured that your 50 -inch plasma HDTV is helping the environment by using less enery while saving you money.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

This review will center around the Samsung PN50C680 Plasma television that I purchased as part of a special "3D TV + 2 Pairs of glasses" Amazon promotion.After spending several weeks researching for a replacement to my Panasonic TH-50PZ800U plasma, I settled on this Samsung. There were positive but very limited reviews of this TV - It seems most of the marketing these days are directed towards the super-slim, LED-backlit 3D televisions. Due to Amazon's generous return policy and special Holiday sales/bundles, I decided to take a chance on this model.

I received the TV without any issues - Shipping and unpacking went well as the box did not have any visual indentations and the Styrofoam inside did not have impact damage.As previously mentioned, the PN50C680 is not one of Samsung's super-slim, single-pane models. It's about 2.5" thick compared to 1.5" - I still consider this to be a thin TV but at the end of the day, "thickness" is a personal preference.

Cabling was very easy as the connections in the back of the TV were clearly labeled. HTPC owners would gladly know that HDMI 1 was labeled to receive video card signals and offers extended compatibility for those that utilize DVI-to-HDMI dongles. The TV turned on and automatically recognized the HD signal from both my Fios service and Blu-Ray player without any problems. Fortunately, the TV was not a "buzzer" as some Samsungs are known to be.

Warning: Here is where the review tends to be personal preference. In my opinion, the initial out-of-box picture was not very good. It was too vivid as the contrast and several of the "picture enhancements" were turned on or maxed.Read more ›

I've had this tv for a little under 2 months now and it's been great! This is my first plasma tv, coming from an LCD that has also been fantastic, with absolutely no problems in 3 years and counting (also purchased from Amazon). Color, contrast, and image motion are all excellent and part of the reason I went with a plasma. Also, making full use of the screen burn protection feature practically makes image retention a non issue.

But more specifically, I chose a plasma because I thought the ghosting/crosstalk in 3d would be much less noticeable. Crosstalk amounts to seeing a double image that results in breaking the 3d illusion. Regrettably, crosstalk is still very much an issue. I have been using Nvidia's 3dvision kit for over a year now and I can reliably say that crosstalk is much more significant on the tv than on my 120hz LCD PC monitor. I suspect it will continue to be an issue in 3dtv technology for a few more years still. But if you're like me and in the market for a new tv anyway, might as well jump into a 3d capable set.

That said, it's still a very good 3d experience and I should note that ghosting is also dependent on the content being displayed (high contrast). There's really nothing quite like playing a ps3 game in full 3d on a big screen and the immersion factor alone is well worth the cost of the experience.

But ... unfortunately I have run into a serious problem. The tv has been working great up until a few days ago. Once turned on, the tv will automatically shut off and then immediately back on. It progressively got worse, within the span of a few days, to the point that it now does it every 1-2 minutes. Completely unwatchable as is.Read more ›

Ordered the Samsung PN50C680 50" plasma from Amazon.com and took delivery 6 days later (free delivery). The shipping company arrived on time and with two delivery people, they unboxed the TV and set it up and checked that the system operated normally. Though we have only had it for three days, I couldn't be more pleased with this television. The display is absolutely gorgeous, colors are rich and natural, the built-in sound is actually pretty good. Viewing Blu-Ray from our Sony Play Station 3 is like being in a cinema theater. The TV's remote even operates the Play Station functions as well. The fast response time and 600hz refresh rate result in a great gaming experience on the PS3, and sports events look amazing. We are not even using cable or satellite, only over the air digital HD broadcasts from an amplified antenna on the roof and every channel looks as good as cable. The 3D on this TV is excellent, I haven't noticed any ghosting or crosstalk problems mentioned with LED 3D sets. The Shrek 3D set that came with the 3D starter kit includes the first three Shrek movies in 3D plus a free voucher for the fourth movie. I'm happy with the set and particularly the price we paid on Amazon which was about 20% better than anywhere else.

I received mine today. The tv was delivered and set up and within 15 minutes of viewing 2d to 3d, I was very impressed. At about the 20 minutes of use mark, we started to smell burning, then heard a pop as the screen went black. I'm going on good faith from the other reviews and getting it replaced. The picture looked great for the short tome. I'll change my rating when I am satisfied with the replacement tv